Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club
The loopy, lunatic Elvis' Birthday Fight Club features costumed characters duking it out through "seven rounds of flimflam fisticuffs."
Elvis Presley would have turned 88 this month. Maybe that’s not something you’ve ever really celebrated, and maybe you can’t imagine that you ever will. If you were to get a wild hair, though, you’d be hard-pressed to find a wilder and wackier, not to mention more absurd, tribute than the one produced by Astro Pop Events.
Every year, Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club features costumed characters duking it out through “seven rounds of flimflam fisticuffs…and in between, bouts of burlesque performances offer a sexy reprieve from the cartoon-esque violence.” The proceedings are overseen by a Presley impersonator and his sardonic sidekick and femcee Kitty Glitter, providing “a little more conversation” in the form of color commentary as show hosts.
What did boxing and fighting have to do with the original King of Rock & Roll, you may wonder? Ultimately, very little, and nothing of consequence. The whole concept came into being after a venue booked Astro Pop producers for a new event of their own devising one year on January 8.
Presley became the overarching theme once they learned that that date was his birthday. From there, they concocted an elaborate ruse out of whole cloth, creating a legend that Elvis’s dying wish was for a commemorative nightclub — except that his caregivers got it all shook up, thinking he said “fight club.”
And thus it came to pass that Presley’s legacy lives on here as an “action-packed, punch-drunk, below-the-belt, hilarious night of lowbrow theater” — presented annually, although not necessarily on his actual birthdate.
The first decade of events is cataloged in a 240-page collection with photos of every fighter and burlesque performer to take the stage, plus additional insight into how the absurdist event’s origin story as shared through excerpts of show scripts and quotes from cast members.
As in previous years, details about this year’s presentation, including who or what might be on the roster of performers and characters, are a closely guarded secret. Over the years, Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club has featured matchups that are even a hoot on paper: Princess Leia vs. Xena Warrior Princess, My Little Pony vs. Leatherface, Freddie Mercury vs. The Queen of England, and Dr. Frankenfurter vs. Dr. Phil.
Friday, Jan. 13, and Saturday, Jan. 14, at 7 and 10 p.m. GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW.
Also Friday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore. Tickets are $30 to $42. Visit www.astropopevents.com.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.